Toll free: Troopers help rescue grazing horse at side of Mass. Pike in Charlton

CHARLTON — A horse that wandered to the edge of the Massachusetts Turnpike Monday morning, drawing a double-take from passing motorists, has been returned to its owner.

State troopers wrangled the cooperative palomino after authorities received reports of a grazing horse to the side of the westbound lanes. A trucker from Texas joined the rescue, offering the troopers a length of rope and a helping hand.

"It was on the Pike but not in traffic," said Emily Sears, the Charlton animal control officer.

Sears hurriedly made calls to nearby farms, and before long the owner of the horse emerged from the woods, apparently taking the same path as the horse. There was a break in the fence line, apparently from a tree that had fallen, Sears said.

The horse had escaped from a farm on Stafford Street.

The horse's calm disposition made the roadside roundup relatively easy, Sears said. There was initial concern that it would bolt from rescuers and move toward the highway, she said.

Before the trucker arrived with the rope, the troopers used an extension cord to lead the horse. It was all they had, Sears said, thankful for the resourcefulness and the good ending.

The initial post on Facebook, asking readers if they know who owns the horse, quickly generated dozens of likes and comments.